Northville hopes to rebound from sub-par season

Novi girls soccer coach Todd Pheiffer hopes a banner 2016 season will rub off again this spring.

The Wildcats (16-2-6) won just about everything in sight last year highlighted by run all the way to the MHSAA Division 1 semifinals before losing a heartbreaking 2-1 shootout loss to host Rochester Stoney Creek.

Novi captured the KLAA Central Division (6-1-3), Kensington Conference and KLAA Association crowns, as well as the district and regional titles.

Pheiffer lost arguably his top four players to graduation including Dream Team selections Katrina Koomen (College of Charleston) and Chloe Allen (Akron), along with honorable mention All-Staters Megan Riley (Central Michigan) and Jessie Halmaghi.

"With a good mix of returning veteran players and new incoming talent, this year's team has high expectations for themselves," Pheiffer said. "2016 was a great year for the Novi girls soccer program and this year's team is hoping to build on those successes."

"Once again, we play in one of the most competitive leagues in the state and have scheduled non-conference games against some of the toughest competition around to prepare ourselves for postseason play," Pheiffer said. "As we prepare for our upcoming first week of games, the team has been working incredibly hard to build the type of team chemistry that is necessary to reach the goals this team has set for themselves."

Northville outlook

Last season was an hopefully anomaly, not the norm for Northville girls soccer, which slipped to an uncharacteristic 8-8-5 overall record while finishing second in the KLAA's Central Division with a 5-1-4 mark.

"This year we're looking to rebound after a difficult sub-par season in 2016," eighth-year coach Eric Brucker said. "The roster is filled with young, talented players that are ready to compete with the best of the KLAA."

Part of the down season could be contributed to a difficult schedule, which has always been the norm for the Mustangs.

Several players must be replaced as the Mustangs lost All-KLAA and All-District picks Sarah Park, Alissa Moore and Emily Boss to graduation, along with Maddy Westenberg, Abbi Henzi and Ryann Kearney.

Among the leading returnees on the back line include junior defenders Kendall Dillon, Morgan Osaer and Nikki Skinner, along with sophomores Jenna Lauderback and Nina Chimienti, as well as starting keeper Carlie Castiglione.

"We have a solid core of returning players led by Williams, Schembri and Dillon," Brucker said. "The veteran players learned a lot last year, now they need to translate that experience into more wins in 2017."